Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Week |
Every Monday, Eater New York editors share the standout meals we've eaten recently. This past week’s lineup includes great halal Thai noodles, a very spring-forever cake, and more; plus, today’s intel covers a new rum bar opening in Brooklyn, a giant pan-Asian food court opening in Manhattan, and other news bits. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Substack for lots more.
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A fun, family-friendly halal celebration
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The chicken pad se ew at Nur Thai. | Photo: Nadia Chaudhury |
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I asked my coworker for recommendations for a good family-friendly halal restaurant in Queens for a belated Eid and two birthday celebrations; she suggested Nur Thai, the first restaurant from the halal-dining-focused Amani Group. I particularly loved the pad se ew with chicken ($17) and drunken noodle with shrimp ($19) — the flat rice noodles were the right bouncy texture, paired well with the respective meats; the drunken noodle iteration was appropriately spicy. The tom yum ($28 for six servings) was a group favorite — the clear lemongrass broth was packed with a hearty, tangy taste; likewise, the eggplant with tofu ($17), which was cooked in a garlic sauce. We ordered the Thai disco dessert plate (served on a smoky ice platter with flashing lights), where you could pick three sweets ($35). I loved the fried ice cream, but I’d bypass the fried bananas next time. 63-32 Woodhaven Boulevard, near 63rd Road, Rego Park — Nadia Chaudhury, deputy editor, Northeast
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The lemon-lavender cake at La Cantine. | Photo: Francky Knapp |
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The first signs of spring are everywhere in New York City right now, from the crocuses at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to the lemon-lavender cake that I ate on a sunny, 70-degree day on the patio at La Cantine in Brooklyn. The cake’s biggest feat was achieving a state of whipped fluffiness in its vanilla cream cheese frosting, which was generously sandwiched between layers of the lavender syrup-soaked vanilla cake, and given a delicate but punchy layer of tangy lemon curd. 60 St. Nicholas Avenue, at Willoughby Avenue, Bushwick — Francky Knapp, staff writer
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An artful South Indian crab curry
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The Nandu crab curry at Kidilum. | Photo: Beth Landman |
It was hard to pick from the menu of unique offerings at this South Indian restaurant, Kidilum, which was already packed this week after only being open for a month. I considered lentil dumplings, but settled on taro root roasted in banana leaf — a tasty textural wonder — and the Nandu crab curry dish ($45). The presentation was so artful that it was almost a shame to dig into it, but ultimately well worth it. Steamed live crab is sauteed with ginger, garlic, and chiles, added to a base of tomatoes, and mixed with a thick and incredibly flavorful blend of roasted coconut paste, fennel seeds, coriander, red chili, and curry leaves. Garam masala adds warmth, coconut milk richness, and Kerala kokum a hint of acidity. By the last bite, there wasn't a taste bud that wasn't activated. While you are there, ask to visit the spice room downstairs, then step inside and inhale. 31 West 21st Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Flatiron — Beth Landman, contributor, Northeast
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Echo Lake. | Photo: Lizzie Munro
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A new epicenter for rum is coming to Williamsburg this month. Co-owners and couple Chloe Frechette (formerly the executive editor at Eater sibling site Punch) and Paul McGee (who had been the co-partner and beverage director at now-closed Chicago tropical bar Lost Lake) are opening their new cocktail bar Echo Lake on Wednesday, April 8, at 357 Grand Street, at Marcy Avenue in the former original Gertie space. Drinks include daily $12 daiquiris and the eight-ounce lager/rum shot combo cutely called Tiny and a Tot, along with seafood snacks and dishes like oysters with tepache mignonette, green coconut curry chowder, and prawns a la plancha with black bean salsa macha.
- Next up, Frechette and McGee are turning Echo Lake’s basement into a second spot, Undercurrent, in May, with a 20-seat bar, serving all sorts of rums, including special ones from their personal collection.
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Now that Kellogg's Diner chef Jackie Carnesi left the Williamsburg restaurant earlier this month, sous chef Mario Garcia is leading the kitchen.
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But also: Ginormous pan-Asian food court Golden Mall is opening in the Financial District today, Monday, March 30.
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[Correction: In last week’s Wednesday, March 25 newsletter, it turns out that Confidant’s original pastry chef, Mariah Neston, is no longer with the restaurant. Likewise, the restaurant’s forthcoming next-door restaurant is no longer called Lou & Bev’s; the new name is still to be announced.]
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